‘Black dollar’ scam busted with arrest of foreigner

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amulya Patnaik told mediapersons on Monday that the retired colonel was approached by a woman,Monique Yolande Bhisikwabo,in May this year and she told him that her husband,a minister in Congo,had been killed by rebel forces. She told him the minister had deposited their family valuables and gold with a security company in Abidjan and that the valuables and cash,allegedly worth $ 4.9 crore,had been brought to India.

“She requested his help in claiming these and promised him 15 per cent of the assets. He was told an executive of the Global Security Company will deliver a box containing money to him and that he has to pay Rs 2.50 lakh for it initially,” Patnaik said.

On May 29,the complainant got a call from one Peter of the security company asking him to pay Rs 5.8 lakh towards custom clearance charges. He transferred Rs 5 lakh to a bank account as suggested by Peter and paid Rs 80,000 in cash.

Meanwhile,the woman informed the complainant that one Chiddo Jude will assist him and Peter. On May 31,the complainant gave the Rs 2.5 lakh to them and was taken to a hotel where Jude was staying.

“To take the armyman into confidence,he was called to a five-star hotel and all the lights in the room were switched off. Jude opened the box the complainant had been promised and took out a white bottle containing some chemical and a bundle of dollars. He poured the chemical in a tray and put some currency notes in it. Soon,the stamp marks disappeared,leaving behind new dollar notes,” a police officer said.

The complainant was then asked to pay Peter about Rs 5 lakh and Collins about Rs 15 lakh as gifts and service charges. “They told the victim not to open the box as exposure to light and air could spoil the dollars. They then told him they were going to Mumbai. Two days later,Peter called him and said that chemicals for reactivating the old bottle would cost more money and the complainant then paid them another Rs 42 lakh. After a week,Peter told the complainant that the old chemical was too weak and buying a new bottle was the only solution. The complainant mortgaged his land and paid another Rs 32 lakh to them.

Another Rs 13 lakh was paid by the complainant when he was told that the chemical bottle will be transported from Abidjan.

However,the complainant grew suspicious and in August he broke open the box,only to find wads of white paper. “The complainant remained in touch with the cheats who once again asked him to pay Rs 25 lakh on the pretext of getting a machine and an expert from America to clean the currency notes,” Patnaik said.

It was then the complainant approached the police on August 20 and a case was registered. A trap was laid near Hotel Basant Continental in Vasant Vihar and Collins was arrested.

During investigations,a bag full of black paper,plain white paper,and some fake dollar notes and one briefcase covered with cello-tape,which was passed off as containing “black dollars” to the victim,were recovered from his rented accommodation.

Collins also led a police team to another hideout,from where the investigators recovered a laptop and a mobile phone used for communicating with victims and associates in various countries; two diaries with the names of prospective victims were also recovered.

His passport,issued under another name,Ochibe Jude Chidozie,was also recovered.

Scam explained
Victims are presented with a suitcase full of black paper in the size of real money. Scammers tell them this money is painted black to get past airport scanners or because it is being refused by the government. Mixed in this suitcase are a few real bank notes,which are painted with a black substance. The scammer,appearing to choosing a black dollar randomly,picks the bank note and puts it into a “secret chemical substance”,making the black paint go away from real money. The victim is then told the whole suitcase can be washed with this “expensive substance”. After the substance has been bought by the victim for huge amounts of money,the criminal will give them instructions for its use — all of these instructions will be made to buy the scammer a little time.